By Alexandra Straub,

Originally published: April 9, 2014

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Lesley Busby was at a crossroads after she finished grade school in the U.K.

With strong abilities in English, math and the arts, she was trying to figure out which path to take in regards to furthering her education.
“I really hadn’t anticipated going down the creative route,” she says. “I’d always enjoy art but I didn’t consider it something I would get employed doing.”

Regardless of her inhibitions, she went to art college though she, “wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do.”

Then came another crossroad. What to major in at art school.

“I decided to go and do a textile degree because I thought fine art would be self-indulgent,” Busby explains. “I thought the textiles would lead to more opportunities of employment at the end of it. So I went off and did a three-year degree.”

Colour can certainly enhance the design of a car mentions Lesley Busby who is a Senior Colour Designer at Nissan.Nissan,

During her time in school, she entered a competition that would land her the top prize for a car interior that she designed. That award led her down a path that ended up taking her to work at Ford in the U.K. There, she worked closely with colour and materials design, which provided her with invaluable experience.

The many meetings with suppliers, “gave me a glimpse into the world of automotive design.”
After a year at Ford UK, Busby went to work at Honda in their studio in Germany. After five years in Germany, she jumped at the chance to return to the U.K. and work with Nissan.

“It’ll be 20 years this year (at Nissan), which is a very long time!” she says. “It was never something I had dreamt of and had a life plan of what I wanted to do, I just feel as though I’ve fallen upon what I’m doing.”

That said, she jokes, “I wouldn’t say I’ve enjoyed every minute but I’ve enjoyed most of the minutes I’ve been doing this job … I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t enjoy it.”

In her current role as Senior Colour Designer, she attends global meetings to discuss the needs and wants of regional markets; what’s different and what’s the same and where they see what’s going on in the future. They talk about the local production of vehicles but with global outlook.

Whether tailoring colour to a local or global market, Lesley Busby wants to make sure the cars look as good as they can. Especially the refreshed Juke.Nissan,

For the last 10 years, Busby has been working out of the Nissan Design Europe studio, which opened in 2003 and is in the heart of London.
“I think we’ve had a lot of opportunity of being a bit more creative and inspirational working on concept cars and one-off projects,” she says of her work during the past decade.

Even though Busby says she’s been doing the “same” job for over 20 years, she has enjoyed the evolution of her role and how it has affected the way she does her job. She even jokes that when she started there was no email, which in retrospect she thinks was a blessing at times.
There have also been other changes.

“The customer is more aware of design now than they were 20 years ago,” Busby observes. “I think the way we communicate, cars have changed a lot and I think the brand of Nissan is a lot stronger now.

“And design has played a big role in making that happen”

Whether tailoring colour to a local or global market, Lesley Busby wants to make sure the cars look as good as they can. Especially the refreshed Juke.Nissan,

One of the most important aspects of good design, she says, is colour, calling it “a very personal thing.”

“At the end of the day, if you ask 10 people their opinion on colour, you will get 10 different answers,” she notes. “You have to try and satisfy the majority but you’re not going to satisfy everybody.”

She adds that colour plays an integral role in attracting customers.

“Colour can be quite powerful if you get it right. There’s an argument I often have with exterior designer and it’s whether someone sees the colour first or the shape. You can enhance the shape if you get the colour right.”

As for one of the many highlights of her role, she says, “One of the aspects I enjoy is that there are no two days alike.”